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We’ve all heard the phrase, “you never get a second chance to make a first impression”. Never is that more true than on an employee’s first day on the job.

When meeting someone for the first time we take seconds to evaluate and form an opinion. We size them up wondering if they are intelligent, arrogant, or likeable? Instinctively, we are making assumptions about our future encounter with this person we have just met and judging whether it will be positive or negative.

What does it say about a company who allows a new employee to arrive at work with no one prepared for their appearance? What kind of lasting impression does it make when a work space has not been created for them, their new-hire paperwork isn’t available or their manager isn’t even there to meet with them? As a recruiter, I have heard stories of new employees waiting hours for someone, anyone, to show up and provide them with direction.

When I hear soon-to-be ex-employees recount their reasons for leaving their current job, I often wonder if employers consider what kind of effect their first impression has on future performance of their new employees? Such slights are not easily forgotten.

First impressions very frequently become lasting ones. A study of a Harvard teaching fellow provided evidence that first impressions can be remarkably accurate. The results gave credence to the notion that regardless how a person acted after the first impression was received; the evaluation of the person months later had remained the same.

According to Social Psychologist, Amy Cuddy, when we meet someone, we’re trying to determine a person’s intentions towards us and how capable they are of acting on said intentions. Translate that to a work relationship and you can see how vitally important it is for an employer to ensure a new employee’s first day of work is positive.

An employee who is left with the unsettling feeling of being treated like an unwanted step-child begins wondering just what else their new employer may forget to follow through on.

So how do you make sure your employee feels adequately welcomed?

Ensure their workspace is prepared and ready for them to perform the job for which they were hired.

Check for cleanliness. No one wants to sit on a coffee-stained chair or work at a computer where the keyboard is caked with dirt.

Make sure their devices work. Does the desk phone have a dial tone? Does the computer work? Are wires hanging from their headset?

Get new-hire paperwork ready. Do you have their contract, payroll forms and any other paperwork they need to sign? Is their name spelled correctly?

Communicate housekeeping items. Do they know where the restroom is or where they are supposed to park their car?

Do not give a new employee a reason to doubt their value to the company. Show all of your employees that you appreciate them and you may find an increase in employee retention that isn’t based upon their lack of options in a down economy.